The History Of Football Essay Research Paper

The History Of Football Essay, Research Paper

THE FIRST HALF CENTURY OF FOOTBALL IN THE UNITED STATES

I -INTRODUCTION-

I chose The First Half Century of Football as the topic of my essay because I truly love the sport,

everything about it. I love the big runs, and long passes which give the game so much flavor. I also chose this

topic because I didn t know a lot about the first 50 years of football. The game has changed very little over the

years. Among the changes were players being paid to play football, there was a draft installed to distribute young

collage athletes among the teams fairly, based on the teams record. I wanted to learn about some of the great

player the dominated the games in those days. I hardly know of the great rivals of today……. I learned about the

Chicago, & Washington rivalry. I will tell you about some of the premier players and teams of these days in the

essay. This essay should give you a taste of what kind of players there were.

II. -BEGINNING-

The game of Football had its roots in English Rugby and soccer was refined to a distinct American flavor

in the nation s colleges during the last two decades of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th

century. Foot ball is played by two opposing teams of 11 men each-a fullback, two half backs a quarterback, a

center, two guards, two tackles, and two ends. The football field is level, measures 100 by 53 1/3 yards. The fields

Marked off by latitudinal stripes every 5 yards, with endzones on each ends consisting of 10 yards. At the end of

each endzone stands a Y-shaped goal posts 20 feet in height, with a crossbar 10 feet. Play is directed toward

moving he football-an inflated leather, spheroid ball often called the pigskin – across the opponent s goal line.

This done, a team scores a touchdown, counting six points. The defending team tries to prevent this by tackling

(forcing to the ground) the man carrying the football. The game is divided into two halves, each having two

periods, or quarter, of 15 minutes. At the end of each of the first three quarters the teams exchange goals. Each

half is begun by a kickoff, which also initiates play after every score.

III -SCORING-

In addition to the touchdown which results in six points; points are scored by kicking the ball over the

crossbar between the goal posts (a field goal), counting three points, and by downing a man in possession of the

ball behind his own goal line (a safty), counting two point. An additional point may be made after a touchdown by

kicking the ball over the crossbar or two points by running with or passing the ball over the goal line from two

yards away. In advancing the ball a team may run or pass (forward or laterally or a combination of both), but it

mast gain 10 yards in four tries (or downs),else turn over to the opposing team. It may also lose possession if one

of its ball carriers fumbles and in opposing player recovers the ball, or the quarterback throws a bad pass which is

caught by the opposing team (an interception). When a team is not likely to gain 10 yards in four downs, it often

kicks, or punts, the ball down field, usually on fourth down. Forward passing and open field running are features

of the game that thrill the average spectator, and blocking and tackling make football one of the most rugged sports

played. Football players were helmets, hip and shoulder pads, and other protective equipment. Five mien-the

referee, umpire, field judge, linesman, and electric clock operator- officiate in a game, and penalties, in the form of

moving the ball away from a teams object goal, are meted out for violations of the rules. Jack, Clary. These

attributes, spiced by the narcotic of competition are what lures those who are football people and provides for

them an endurance to make this game succeed. The Coffin Corner Volume XVI,1994.

IV -PLAYING FOR PAY-

The first talks of playing for pay occurred first around Pittsburgh s athletic clubs where victory was a

means to build membership. The first known pro at this time was William (Pudge) Hefelfinger, one of Yale s

greatest players in the late 19th century who had heard the purity of the sport. The best known player was Jim

Thorpe an All- American at the Carlisle Indian School from 1908-12, a 6-1,195-pound man. No player in the first

two decades of the century matched his feats, for which he was paid $250 per game by the Canton Bulldogs when

they signed him in 1915. In 1916, Canton won ten games and was acclaimed the world professional champion.

The game began to flourish in its own unregulated and out-of-the-hat style, but not without problems–rising

salaries, out -of-control player movement and the illegal use of collegians. Soon, many teams wanted to join the

league.

V -FIRST DRAFT ORIGINATES-

One of the NFL s greatest accomplishments occurred in 1935 when Bert Bell convinced the owners to

initiate a draft of college players, a move generated because his team wasn t getting any top flight c

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